


The Tale of Li Chen

by RCainTales



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Drama & Romance, Gen, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:21:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28386174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RCainTales/pseuds/RCainTales
Summary: Chen is the son of Fire Lord Xiong, and a powerful firebender.  After the death of Avatar Sedna sixteen years ago, and the Earth Kingdom Avatar yet to be discovered, the Fire Nation is under attack from all sides.  Chen and his royal family must use their combined strength and wisdom to defend their home against the Fire Separatists, the Air Exiles, the Water Raiders, and the Earth Rebels.
Kudos: 1





	1. Eagle Hawk Leads Tiger Shark to Hunter

"Fire Lord Li Quan," cried Avatar Sedna, "come out and answer for the murder of Chief Markka!" Sedna hovered across the entire plaza of the Fire Nation Capital toward the palace itself on a small whirlwind. She landed just outside the door, surrounded by hundreds of royal guards, firebenders and spearmen alike.

The massive doors opened where she was met with a man significantly younger than Quan, but bore the headpiece of the Fire Lord. He was built like a bear, accentuated further by his extravegant royal garments. His hair was a silken black, matched by the stubble growing on his chin and cheeks. Sedna knew him well as Li Quan's son, Li Xiong, and her favorite companion during her Avatar journey. Any feelings she may have had in the past, however, died with her brother, Chief Markka.

"My father," he said, "has relieved himself of the crown, and bestowed the burden to me."

"Whatever game your father is playing, I'm not buying it, Fire Lord" She addressed him with a layer of doubt, as if his new title was nothing more than the shell of a turtle duck.

"My father is old, Avatar, and is well within his rights to enjoy his remaining years in peace. Of course, we'd be honored if you would be a guest in our city. Any matters of importance, however, you may address to me." Sedna glared at Xiong. He shared his father's upright demeanor and self assurance, which practically mocked her challenge. Though he wasn't nearly as calculating or as scholarly, Xiong was twice the warrior to Quan.

"Your father sailed his army into the Southern Water Tribe and murdered my brother." Sedna radiated fury in her low voice. Her thick coat of furs covered a short, lean figure, and her soft, round face betrayed a hidden strength behind it. "He has broken the peace between the nations, and it is my duty as Avatar to bring him to justice."

"Your duty?" Xiong scoffed. "My Lady, please don't insult my intelligence. We both know this goes beyond your duty to maintain balance. After all, where was this self righteous indignation when Chief Markka shed first blood?"

"He told me what happened. It was an accident."

"If you believe that, then you're not even half as bright as I remember. Perhaps Father was right about you. The most gullible Avatar in centuries."

"Why do any of you care who fathered your sister's child anyway?" Xiong's confident smirk faded, and his expression dropped to a scowl. His body began to grow hot as the qi in his stomach bellowed into fire.

"Markka told you nothing." He exhaled hot breath from his nostrils like an ox. "It's not about my nephew. It's about what your brother did to my sister."

"Liar!" Sedna's hair streamed into a powerful gust of wind. Her hands lit with fire, and the ground cracked under her feet. "Tsi-Ang loved Markka, and he loved her." The firebending guards struggled to maintain a flame in the winds whipping around Sedna, but the spearmen held fast between her and the Fire Lord. "If you defend Quan then you will answer for him!"

"He will not," boomed a voice from within the palace. It echoed like a trumpeting elephant, loud enough even for Sedna to hear from inside her swirling gale.

Quan emerged, bearing the blood red robes of a noble below traditionally bound hair and a long, grey beard. His voice was deep, yet smooth as the flat of a blade.

Sedna quelled her anger long enough to hear her enemy.

"You failed in your duty, Avatar, just to protect your brother. I simply did your job for you. Now go back to your icy hut before I spank you with a stick. You remember the one, don't you? I beat you each time your stance wasn't low enough. Have you been practicing like I told you? No? Ah well, I suppose firebending is easier for other Avatars. Hopefully my son will have an easier time training the Earth Avatar after your death. Oh, pardon me. Long life to you, Avatar Sedna--"

"Enough!" The cracks below her stretched further out when she stomped her foot. "Agni Kai. Between those battlements. Sunset. To the death." Without waiting for response, Sedna flew toward the sea with the speed of a hurricane, and disappeared behind a rolling wave.

"Father, what are you going to do?"

"Fight the Avatar, of course. Who am I to decline such a challenge?"

"This is not first burn! It's to the death!"

"Indeed. May the better win."

"I don't understand, Father. You're a more learned firebender, certainly, but this is the Avatar."

"Master of all four elements, now limited only to one, of which I am the greater master."

"Something tells me she doesn't plan to follow the rules."

"My son-- my Lord, the killing of an opponent without fire during an Agni Kai would breach the sanctity of the duel, and fall far outside the bounds of the Avatar's duty. Such a sacrilege could only be punishable by death."

"Are you listening? We all know the rules. What makes you think she'll care after what we did?"

"True. Sedna is as predictable as she was when I trained her. Once she realizes she cannot best me, she will invoke the Avatar state."

"You don't mean..." Quan dispersed the guards and led Xiong inside where they could speak privately. "You planned this from the start?"

"Do you remember what I told you before we avenged Tsi-Ang's honor?"

"Fire is a wild and dangerous element."

"We must think before we act, otherwise we burn the ones we love." Quan put a hand to Xiong's cheek. "Everything I have laid out has been to protect yours and your sister's future. If I should die in doing so, then so be it."

"Father..." Xiong's voice broke.

"We are not ruled by our emotions. It is passion and purpous that fuels our fire." Quan wiped a tear with his thumb from Xiong's eye. He reached into his robe and placed a key into his son's hand. "Look for the letter in my desk. It will explain nigh every possible outcome, and where to go from there." Xiong gripped the key tightly, steadying his breath.

"I will do as you ask."

"Thank you, my Lord-- my son." Quan choked back the knot in his throat. "I believe in you."

For all the hardness is his expression, and his pedantic speech, Quan had a deep love and commitment to his family. Every move he made was as carefully calculated as the placement of a Pai Sho tile. If even a single part of the strategy came to harm his children or grandchildren, the plan would be abandoned before it even began. Their legacy, according to Quan, was the very definition of victory or defeat, and Quan never lost.

When his children were still pupils, he taught them the secret which even the Sun Warriors neglected. Indeed, within every firebender is a sun, driven by their greatest passion. But the sun is just another star, and even in the darkest night - maximum Yin - another faraway sun still glimmers in the sky. They didn't fully understand at the time, but after Quan left to meditate before the battle, Xiong knew then what he meant.

"What's happening?" Tsi-Ang approached Xiong from behind. "I felt the ground quaking, and I thought there might be an eruption. Are we evacuating?" She put a hand to her belly, which was little bigger than normal.

"We're safe," said Xiong. Tsi-Ang looked over her brother's shoulder dubiously.

"Where's Father going?"

"To meditate. That's all." He wrapped his burly arms around her, and rested his chin gently on her head. "How much longer do you have?"

"No more than half a year, I think. She's barely begun to grow."

"'She'? How do you know?"

"A mother knows." Tsi-Ang pressed her ear to Xiong's chest and listened to his pounding heart. "Tell me what's wrong. If not an eruption then what was that rumbling?"

"The Avatar is here. She challenged Father to an Agni Kai."

"What?" Tsi-Ang pushed herself away. "I told you both that this would happen! Why wouldn't you listen to me?"

"We had to protect you."

"You shouldn't have done anything, like I told you. Neither of you ever listen to me."

"It's going to be alright."

"You never listen."

"Father has a plan."

"If Markka was still alive..."

"Didn't you hear me? Father has a plan."

"Father's plans. There's always a plan. Plans upon plans upon plans. No ending in sight." Tsi-Ang couldn't even face her brother while she struggled to sort the thousands of fears and doubts ringing in her head.

"What do you want?" Xiong softly gripped her shoulders with his rough, stone-like fingers.

"I want us all to run away. Leave the palace and let Father meet his granddaughter."

"That's not possible now." She shook free of his grip.

"Then raise Markka from the dead, and forget I ever told you anything."

* * *

The black ocean shimmered under the sun, which shone in the hot, orange sky before dipping into the blood red gloaming. Quan faced away from the water next to his son. His feet and chest were bare underneath a long robe, and his grey hair was unbound, falling below his shoulders.

"Did you read the letter, Lord?" said Quan.

"Yes, Father."

"Then you know what to do." Xiong said nothing, but nodded. "And you are prepared to do what you must?"

"No," said Xiong.

"I know." Quan simpered, and pressed his thumb to his son's arm. "You take after your grandfather. Act first, contemplate afterward. But it's made you strong here, and here." He then softly pressed his fist to Xiong's stomach - his Sea of Qi. "I trust you to do the right thing. For you, for your sister, and for your nephew."

"Niece," said Xiong. Quan smile grew wider, and his eyes began to well up. He blinked, raising up his arms with a deep breath through his nose, then lowered his arms together with exhalation to sink his qi.

The distance waters began to churn more viciously. Xiong stood in attention to act as Quan's eyes. A mighty wave crashed the shore of the battlements, and washed away from where Sedna appeared. Her hair and clothes were matted with water. She didn't bother to blow away the dampness with a simple airbending motion. Water was her element, and she always felt most comfortable in the cold and wet.

Xiong signaled his father to begin. Quan turned around and shed his robe, revealing a lean figure with evidence of vitality remaining. Sedna did the same, removing her coat and shoes. Before she nearly took of her undershirt, Quan stopped her.

"That won't be necessary, Avatar. You have your dignity."

"Whatever. When do we start?"

"Immediately." Quan stepped into a bow and arrow stance, trailing fire behind his flowing hands. "Show me what you remember." Sedna swept her leg, shooting an arc of flame across the ground. Quan lept up with a powerful kick, which countered the jet Sedna shot from her fist after the sweep.

"Too aggressive," said Quan. He spun into two high kicks. Sedna blocked both of the shot fired from his feet, and prepared to block a third. Quan feinted, stepping onto a single foot with arms spread like a crane. Sedna's timing was thrown off, and just before she could strike back, he kicked forward with his standing foot, landing on the other. Her defenses were down, and she felt the burn on her midriff. "Point."

"Points won't save you!" Sedna cried. She unleashed a volley of fire with successive kicks and punches. Quan barely managed to deflect them. She was certainly faster than he remembered. Or he was just getting old, he thought. That wasn't what surprised him, though. What really caught him off guard was the flicker of blue emitting from Sedna's fists.

The unenlightened often mistake blue fire for a prodigal firebender, but Quan knew this was merely a result of single mindedness. Looking at Sedna's baleful glare, there was no mistaking the one emotion that caused this. Blue fire is indded significantly hotter and more powerful, but it is more difficult to control, hence why those who wield it are remembered for their great power. Though not as naturally gifted in firebending, Sedna was still powerful, just like Avatar Haruo before her, and Avatar Salai before him, if the legends were to be believed.

Sedna didn't stop her assault, and Quan was trapped in his defensive maneuvers before his arm was finally scorched. It wasn't the first time he'd been burned, but it was the first in a long time. Regardless, he hid the pain, guarding his burnt arm behind an asking hand, shifting his weight onto a single leg, and placing the other into an empty step.

"Well done. Though you lost focus for a moment."

"Quiet!" Sedna swung again.

"Wildfire burns those you care for. Well, those left anyway."

"Enough!" She enveloped her arms into a wide circle in front of her chest.

"Embracing the Moon? You think I don't recognize a waterbending move when I see it? Tsk tsk tsk." Sedna froze, icy cold rage chilling her blood. She could kill him at any moment if she wished. And why not, she though. If not for the hundreds of guards between her and Quan, she might have killed him earlier. Not to mention the other three nations. If only she had stayed with her brother, and not fallen for Quan's ruse. What could he have wanted with a small Earth Kingdom village? Quan knew her duty would compell her to defend it against the paltry Fire Nation force, and left Markka unprotected.

There was no going back now, and this was the only way she knew to have her revenge while keeping the peace, by ascribing to the Fire Nation's own laws.

"Tell me," said Sedna, "who really killed my brother? Who's hand physicaly struck him down?" Xiong deftly shifted his feet. He couldn't look at Sedna when he thought back to Markka's final moments. As long as he lived, Xiong would never forget the light leaving the Chief's eyes as he died in front of him.

"Mine," said Quan, stepping between Xiong and Sedna's line of sight. "Do you want to know his last words?" Senda's hands trembled while the flame burning in her fists turned a more vibrant blue. Her eye twitched and her breath halted.

"No," she muttered.

"He called your name again and again. His final words were 'Make it stop' as he burned in my dragonfire. I obliged, and pierced his heart like this!" Quan swirled his arms overhead in a precise motion while sparks trailed from his fingers. He pointed directly at Sedna, who instinctively raised a block of earth to block the incoming bolt of lightning.

The block shattered with the force of Sedna's strike from behind. A blazing inferno now surrounded her. It was wild, glowing a brilliant blue. Her eyes shone like two stars burning in the night. She was no longer in control. The Avatar state was unleashed.

Sedna engulfed Quan in a massive conflagration. It was large enough to swallow a dragon, though insufficient to kill firebending masters such as they - such as Quan. Her fire was growing weaker as she felt a force pushing back. All who were present that day never forgot what they saw from the former Fire Lord. Quan was the very image of a dragon, breathing fire from his own mouth in a rainbow colored jet. Such a feat was thought only possible from those powerful beasts, but Quan had attained the secret to the highest ideal of a firebender, and balanced the energies within himself.

Sedna spun into the sky, hovering above the dragonfire before she was burned. She crashed down onto a horse stance, and Quan fell over a crack in the earth. The ocean ebbed and flowed while Sedna shifted her body back and forth. Before Quan could stand, his hands and feet were braced by solid rocks. The tide grew larger with every one of Sedna's motions, and Xiong signaled for the guards to retreat from the shore.

"Father!" Xiong cried, rushing toward him.

"Do nothing!" said Quan. "You know what to do. Lead your men away." Xiong glanced back at his father one last time before he and the Avatar were swallowed by a wave the size of a lion turtle. Underneath, Sedna watched from the within an air bubble as Quan writhed and contorted, lungs filled with water. The Ocean retracted to its original place, washing out the two like beached octopi.

Sedna's legs gave out. There was no energy left in her after such a show of power and her rage abated. Xiong and his guards returned. Quan's hands and feet were free, but there was no life left in his eyes. The mouth which moments ago breathed real dragonfire now gaped open, dripping seawater.

"Xiong," Sedna whispered. He couldn't look at her. Those crystal-like eyes threatened to remind him of the young girl he once knew, and the long forgotten dreams of the future they once had. All he could see now was the death mask of his father.


	2. The Wise Owl Cat Looks Behind

"And she was executed right there?" asked Li Chen.

"I had no choice," said Xiong. "Understand, my son, that Sedna was too dangerous to be left alive for a trial. One hundred guards stood witness to the desecration of the Agni Kai, and one hundred messengers were sent throughout the four nations to tell the same story. Many leaders came together to the summit of Omashu: Two Earth Kings, the Northern Water Chief, the Council of Elders from the Eastern Air Temple, and even a Foggy Swamp Shaman. Your aunt, Tsi-Ang, and I went as well, under the promise of protection. I made a case for the equilibrium of justice, whereas she pleaded for an end to the fighting so she may raise your cousin in peace.

It wasn't easy, but they eventually agreed. Though more spiritually attuned to the Avatar, the Air Nomads detest violence to begin with. The Earth Kings were quite stubborn, but when they came to understand the drastic change a war would bring, they relented. Denizens of the Earth Kingdom tend to be a conservative lot, you know, and they dislike when their way of life is disrupted. The shaman was, in a word, confusing, but ultimately their tribe is somewhat disconnected from their brothers and sisters to the north and south. Most difficult of all was the Northern Water Chief. Even now, I don't believe we came to an understanding exactly, but we are at a relative peace. 'You are unwelcome in our borders,' he said. I suppose that's the best we can hope for. So long as we stay out of their way, we won't have any trouble with them."

Xiong scratched his pointed beard uneasily. He and Chen gazed toward the ocean from the beach on Fu Zi Island, a short walk from the Fire Nation School. A calm breeze waved their hair as steadily as the waters before them, giving no hint of what happened days before. No sign of the skirmish that came sailing under black flags, the exiled monks raining from the sky, the bannerless warriors marching in lockstep, or the dead that fell on the very sands below Chen's feet.

"Then why does General Orumetsu attack? Shouldn't he answer to one of the Earth Kings?"

"Orumetsu is no general. He is not even a soldier. He is an upstart peasant with earthbending abilities that believes he can find the Avatar and exact revenge on the Fire Nation."

"That was nearly sixteen years ago," said Chen. "Shouldn't the Avatar have been revealed by now?"

"Your grandfather placed many eyes and ears within the Earth Kingdom, and so far the Earth Sages have yet to even discover the Avatar's identity. I doubt he or she will ever be found. For now we must suffer this general and his followers harassing our islands."

"I'm ready, Father!"

Xiong cast an incredulous eye toward Chen. "Unless you're speaking of next week's exam, no, you aren't going to face Orumetsu."

"Maybe you aren't ready to see me on the field, but I am. I won't be getting any better at firebending by just sparring people I'm not supposed to hurt! It's my home, and I want to protect it."

"Is it your home or your honor you want to protect? Honor your father's wishes, Chen. Focus on your schooling, and become more than just another soldier."

"If you let me out there, I can prove I'm more than just--"

"Listen to me, son."

"You listen to me!"

"Your Fire Lord has spoken!"

"Big deal."

Xiong shook his head with a sigh. "Will you forever be a child?" Chen snorted, picking up a seashell and tossing it into the sea. "Afraid you won't pass, then?"

"Who says I'm afraid? Ink and scrolls won't win a battle."

"What does the messenger hawk carry from island to island, love letters and well wishes? No requests for reinforcements? No reports of injured or dead? No strategies from the war table?" Xiong put a hand on Chen's shoulder. "It can save lives too. I know you better than the brawler you pretend to be. You want to protect your home, and more so your people."

Chen's posture softened. "I just know I'll have to be Fire Lord one day, and I want to be a good one like you and Grandfather. We're beset on all sides by these invaders, and who knows if they finally embolden the rest of their respective nations to join in.

The Air Exiles may never convince any of the elders to break their oaths, but the Water Raiders may well plunder enough resources to strengthen the Southern Tribe into war. And if the Earth Rebels gain the support of any of their kings, we could be in for the fight of our lives. What if they even find the Avatar, and make us out to be an enemy for him or her? I want to be ready."

"Yang still glimmers, even in maximum Yin. Do you know what Grandfather meant when he told me that? The sun is just another star, and thousands of faraway suns still shine in the night sky. Reach for them, and your fire will never be extinguished. These are dark times indeed, but we mustn't give up hope.

Your mother would have been proud if she could see you now, just as I am. I might be inclined to give you the throne now if duty didn't require it of me to remain." Xiong ushered Chen back toward the academy. "And if you would just finish your damned assignments," he said with a tug at Chen's ear. "There will be time enough for fighting. Orumetsu and his insurgents have made sure of that."

They passed under the school's paifang while Li Ziyi waited on the plaza. She hurried toward her uncle and cousin as soon as she caught sight of them, but Xiong halted Chen.

"Hold on, boy, you're a mess." He loosed Chen's long, wavy, black hair, tying it back into a knot atop his head. The knot was set with the Prince's candle-shaped ornament, allowing only two locks of hair to curl either side behind his ears.

"Recess is almost over, Chen," said Ziyi. "You owe me one for ditching me in Ti Ball. I had to carry a team full of newbies."

"Should I play with your hair too? Grab a friend, we'll form a line," Chen said sardonically. Ziyi's hair was unbound, flowing down the small of her back, and short bangs, cut just below her brow, parting like black curtains.

"Don't touch it. It's perfect," she said with a smirk.

"That will do, I think," said Xiong. "I love you, son. Behave yourself." He hugged Chen, brushed the lingering sand grains off his wide shoulders, then departed.

"What took you?" said Ziyi.

"Don't worry about it," said Chen.

"Worried? Do I look worried?"

"You look something."

"Just what's that supposed to mean? I look what?"

"You look pretty today."

"Mm hm. Guess you live another day, cousin. I'd hate to burn those little hairs off your chinny chin chin." Ziyi pinched his squirrelish cheek.

"Don't scorch my mustache." Chen patted the tiny flecks of hair sprouting above his lip.

"You're kidding! I'll have a face full of fuzz before you do," she said, stroking her smooth, rounded chin. "Come on, we'll be late for Sifu Huoma's class. I know she's your favorite."

She was half right. Sifu Huoma was the teacher Chen hated the least. For one thing, she taught classes in firebending, and Chen wanted to be the best, or at least he wanted to catch up to Ziyi. She was top of the class, but Chen remained Huoma's favorite student, and she was eager to see him progress. Despite this, she never coddled Chen the way Sifu Bajian, Sifu Qigan, or Sifu Liou-Bang did. Too often would he leave those lessons having learned nothing, only to be given high marks simply for being the Fire Lord's son. Huoma, however, would not hesitate to whack him with her wooden stick. It was infamous among her students, to which they uninspiringly called it The Big Stick. But Chen relished the correction, as if Sifu Huoma was shaping him into perfection. Come the next day, he would have impeccable form from yesterday's lesson. It was all thanks to Huoma and The Big Stick.

"Did you get it, by the way?" said Ziyi.

"Get what?"

"Chinny chin chin. Chen. Chin. Do you get it?"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it the first time!" Chen hissed.

Sifu Huoma cracked The Big Stick into her hand. "You got it, do you, Mr. Li? Perhaps you could demonstrate for the class then."

"Sifu?" Chen barely registered her words. Ziyi puckered her lips to restrain her laughter.

"We were discussing the Sun Wheel technique."

"Of course!" Chen said hesitantly, stepping into the center of the training square.

"Ready position! Zhan Zhuang!" Chen missed the second command and simply squatted into a horse riding stance. He felt The Big Stick crack against his behind. "Zhan Zhuang, Mr. Li. Hug the tree."

"Yes, Sifu." Chen stood up straight, knees slightly bent, and arms circled in front of him.

"Now feel the flow of qi orbit your chakras. Don't forget to breathe" Huoma lightly tapped Chen's head, stomach and thigh with The Big Stick. "Starting from the bottom lip, to the throat, then the heart. From there it goes to the solar plexus, the sacral chakra, the root, then back up the spine - the Gate of Life. It passes the shoulder blades, and-- slightly bent at the knees, Mr. Li! Up the neck to the back of the head, we have reached the Jade Pillow. The qi reaches over the crown, down the forehead and to the upper lip where it begins again at the bottom lip, connected by the tongue. To the roof of your mouth, Mr. Li, not sticking out like a thirsty hound.

Everyone stand up and do the same. Get a feel for the flow of qi while I work with Mr. Li in the next step, and pay attention as well. When you feel the qi flow down to your heart, extend it out through your arms to make fire in your open palms. Don't forget to breathe."

Chen exhaled, and his breath ignited a small flame between his palms.

"Very good, Mr. Li, now cross your wrists together. Don't forget to breathe. Keep that fire burning. Open the hands and circle them downward. Think of it like a flower in the spring. The leaves drop down under the blooming bud. When the hands meet at the bottom, they rise up again in front of your heart and spread out, palms turned upward."

Chen's fire spun in front of him as he followed the instructions. Once he spread his hands out and up in the final motion, it condensed into a solid burning wheel. His classmates were in awe of the spectacle.

"Awesome!"

"I saw that once in the circus."

"Let me try!"

"Real pretty, cousin," said Ziyi, turning up her nose.

"Don't forget to breathe," said Huoma clapping The Big Stick in her hand.

"Sifu Huoma, how is this supposed to be used in a fight?" Ziyi chimed in.

"Excellent question, Miss Li. Would anyone care to guess?" A few timid hands raised.

"A distraction?"

"Deflecting fire blasts?"

"Good guesses," said Huoma. "yet sadly completely wrong. Miss Li, are you saying you would not use this technique in a fight whatsoever?"

"I mean, it looks neat and all, but I don't see any practical application for it."

"Precisely, Miss Li!" Ziyi blinked in bewilderment. "Not everything you learn in this class is going to be a strategy to defeat your opponent. I promise you this, however: All I have to teach is absolutely essential for a competent firebender."

"We're learning control!" said Chen. "That way it won't blow up in our face." With little warning, Huoma thrust forth a blast of fire from her fist toward Chen.

He gasped, eyes widening, and his flaming wheel extinguished instantly. Without hesitation, he quickly raised his arms to connect at the wrist and stepped back with a downward chop to disperse the incoming blast.

"Nicely done. You've been practicing that move. And the name of it?" asked Huoma. Chen knew, and so did Ziyi. He glanced at his cousin who was teasing him with a girlish expression.

"The Princess on the Mountain," he grumbled.

"Correct. Fire is alive, wild, and dangerous. One cannot rely solely on offensive maneuvers, Miss Li. If you don't learn to master your qi, then the fire will consume you instead. Which is why it is imperative that you don't forget to breath. Zhan Zhuang!" Huoma held The Big Stick aloft, ready to strike again before the entire class assumed the position, hugging their imaginary trees.

"I got it, Sifu Huoma." Ziyi was encircled by a halo of fire, glowing a beautiful orange.

"Well done. Now I want all of you to hold the Sun Wheel position for an hour, then you are dismissed for the rest of the day." A chorus of moans and groans echoed among the students.

"An hour?" Chen protested.

"Count yourselves lucky, class. Back in my day we had to stand for--" Her attention turned to a messenger waiting at the door. He motioned for her to speak privately while the class attempted to spin wheels of fire. Most of them succeeded, but often stumbled after a minute, and they had to start again. 

"I have business to attend with Headmaster Hung, but I trust the two of you can assist your classmates should they need it. And before anyone thinks about leaving early, you should know that you will be demonstrating before the Headmaster tomorrow, so I suggest you all practice as much as you can." As soon as Huoma left the room, half the class broke formation to sit and talk with their friends. Ziyi was one such, while Chen counted among those that was content to keep practicing.

"I hope this is of the utmost importance. My students were just learning techniques that might save their lives one day."

"Headmaster Hung thought so," said the messenger boy. "He wouldn't tell me exactly, but only that you would understand."

"Understand what exactly?" Her attention was now sharply focused on the boy.

"He said 'The Raven Eagle landed in Gaipan'."

"Gaipan? Why would she--" Huoma stopped herself when she looked at the boy still lingering there. "Thank you, young man. I will find my own way to Headmaster Hung. Now stop standing there slack jawed and go back to your class." The boy bowed and scurried away through the hall.

Huoma wondered if the old Raven Eagle was still alive after fifteen years. Her friend, Kara, had trained him well. She remembered he was a noble bird, and rested proudly on Kara's arm when called, strongly loyal, but without a hint of obeisance. Whenever he returned, his body would be flecked with lingering feathers from a messenger hawk, and talons stained with blood.

"Good boy!" Kara had said. "What have you got for us?"

"The hawk was flying west toward the Air Temple," said Huoma. Kara slipped the hawk's scroll from her raven eagle's beak.

"Whose stamp is that?" Kara pointed to the wax seal on the scroll.

"The Earth Sages. If it says what I think it does, then they would obviously prefer the monks receive it than our people."

"Too bad for them." Kara broke the seal and unrolled the message. The two were not surprised, but ecstatic all the same that their six month hunt had finally come to an end.

"Write to Fire Lord Xiong, and tell him the news."

"That he and I are finally getting married? It's about time, isn't it?"

"Keep it simple, Kara. The Avatar has been found in Senlin." The Raven Eagle clutched the message in his talons, staining it red, and flew southwest for the Fire Nation.

Now Huoma was at the Headmaster's door.

"Why is Kara in Gaipan?"

Hung shook his head. "Who knows. It's surrounded by thick woods. I assume she intends to hide there."

"Does Xiong know yet?"

"I sent my hawk there moments before I sent for you. If only Xiong had stayed here for another hour or so, he might have learned the whereabouts of his wife sooner. For now he'll get it when he returns to the palace."

"What should we do?"

"Prepare to move. In the meantime, however, keep Chen occupied. Extra training. Homework. Anything at all. You, Kara, Xiong, and myself, we're the only ones that know what happened the day of Li Ziyi's birth. The Fire Lord intends to keep it that way. Huoma, Chen must never see his mother."


	3. Polar Dog Breaks its Leash

In the bazaar city of Zeduan, merchants knew full well to collect their goods into their homes before sunset, lest they find their lockboxes empty when they return. When the moon rose, the city was home to thieves and cutthroats of every stripe. The amature cutpurse would be dead while attempting to steal from a practiced assassin, and a green thug may find his coin missing while scuffling with a veteran pickpocket. Zeduan, scholars said, was the bridge of gold between Beiqing and Jingming, and for all intents and purposes, this was true. Gold traded at a ravenous pace on that mercantile bridge. By day it passed honestly, but less scrupulously by night.

Only one establishment kept its light on after hours: The Sleepy Unagi. So long as the drink kept flowing, the owner had many friends to protect him and his purse. It was not without incident, however. Some ruffian made trouble at least once a week, but for those who wanted to ensure that the only tavern open so late would remain open, the troublemaker would never be heard from again.

A single booth was hidden behind a curtain, and any ne'er-do-well could use it for the night for a small fee. The owner's silence cost extra. Here, General Orumetsu spread his map across the table. He peered out through the curtain with his dark, narrow eyes, waiting for someone in particular to come through the tavern entrance. They never came. He sat down across from Yi, who waited comfortably in his red and yellow robes. Orumetsu rubbed his burly fingers over his bald head. Yi did the same with eyes that almost laughed at him.

"You find this funny, monk?"

"I do not want you to feel alone." Yi smiled, looking down at the map.

"Well, we are alone. Sokka's not coming, and I don't know where he or his crew are."

Yi swatted his hand through the air. "Who needs him? Grumpy old sea dog is no fun anyway."

"His ship is vital to our next plan of attack. We can't do it without him."

"Let us pretend. You tell me what to do, I will make frowny faces."

"This could be a deciding moment for us. If his crew plunder enough resources from North Chung-Ling, then his people may finally be able to strengthen the new Southern Water Chief into action."

"Argh, matey!" said Yi, hooking his fingers. "Make Xiong walk the plank. Then I will stop crying myself to sleep."

"I didn't think monks were so insensitive. The man did see his mother and father killed right in front of him, you know."

"Death is no trouble. Life is trouble. Rum will put a smile on his face."

"I don't need him happy, I need him angry. So long as he's got that grudge against the Fire Nation, there's still fight in him."

"Why do you need me, then? I am not angry."

"You know how dangerous the world is without the Avatar. You and your people."

"Air Nomads?"

"Your other people." Orumetsu pulled a Pai Sho tile from his pocket and placed it in front of Yi. The tile bore the symbol of a white lotus. Yi simply smiled and nodded.

"Kingdoms and Nations struggle for hundreds and hundreds of year. No problem. People can fix this. Spirits get angry. No Avatar. People cannot fix that."

"That's why you're here. You and the rest of the monks that followed you into exile understand better than the elders that the Li family threw the whole world out of balance."

"Li family is nothing. I think Xiong knows more than he admits. I think you worry too much. I think--"

A younger monk ran into the private room. "Sorry, Sifu Yi. General Orumetsu, one of our scouts flew in from the west. He had this urgent message for you." He handed Orumetsu a small scroll. It was a short message - a single sentence, but the General read it over multiple times. Every time he scanned it over his fingers hardened and his face reddened. The young monk's eyes widened, and Yi gently gestured him to leave with a nod of his head.

"You found Sokka?" said Yi.

"Son of a bitch!" Orumetsu tore the paper into shreds and stormed out of the tavern.

"I will be here when you get back!" Yi called. He picked up the torn paper fragments and read the message. _The North Mother flies black flags toward Yumin village_. "Orumetsu's home village? Goodness me, that's bold." Yi chuckled, popping his head out through the curtains. He called for the young monk, and put a silver piece in the boy's hand. "Will you share a nice hot cup of sake with me?"

* * *

They came swifter than a winter wind, scouring the little fishing village for every scrap of silver and gold. When there was no silver to be had, they took steel instead, and when they lacked even for steel, they took food and wood. The villagers in Yumin had no defense against the ragged, snarling, biting raiders that crept up from the south.

They were all men - strong, fighting men with tawny hair, wild blue eyes, and wolfish beards. No two warriors carried the same weapon. Some were familiar as the sword or club, others less charming such as chains and slings. Only a select few brandished arms more alien to the west, made from craftsmen of Si Wong.

The inhabitants of Yumin surrendered, following the slaying of their Elder. He was a stubborn old man that ordered everyone to stand and fight, able or not. His hands were empty, and Bokris, the raiders' Quartermaster, took notice.

"And where's your sword, old man? Prefer women and children do your fighting for you?" Bokris tossed a cutlass at the elder's feet. "Let's make a deal, lads. Your Elder and I will have a nice, fair bout. Once I cut him to ribbons, you lay down your arms, and we'll be taking our plunder all peaceful like."

"What if I win?" the Elder asked.

Bokirs burst into laughter. "'If I win', he says! You hear that, Noland?" His Helmsman lumbered into view on a wooden leg. He was tall and dark, but always wore a smile with a hint of madness in his eye.

"If he wins then I'll carry your corpse on my back, and let that ostrich horse take the helm." He pointed to the nearby beast with his hooked hand. Noland's voice was low and smooth, but one could tell he was not in his right mind.

"You haven't a chance, old man," said Bokris. "I'll be growing wings and shitting gold from me arse before I lose to you. Now pick it up."

The Elder tried to swing at Bokris with the cutlass, but the young Quartermaster was too swift, and taunted the old man. He dodged and parried with little effort, even tripping his shaking legs. The wild men shouted mirthfully with every pitiful swing, and laughed at the poor spectacle. Once, the Elder overextended his reach to stab Bokris through the heart, and the brigand responded with a slice to his thumbs. The Elder dropped this sword and howled in pain.

"Mercy! Please, take what you want and go! I'll give you anything. We have iron and fish, but there is no gold here. My daughter-in-law has two pretty girls.

Take them all, just let me go."

"We take no human cargo, old man, pretty or no. Though I'll take your guts if you don't tell us where the gold is hidden."

"There is no gold!"

"Really now? Tell him what you found, Noland." Noland brought a glass bowl full of water to the elder that had a tiny yellow fish in it.

"A goldfish?" the Elder whimpered

"A gold-fucking-fish! Now there's bound to be more, and if we don't have it to the count of three, I'll slice your innards."

"There is none!"

"One."

"I'm begging you!"

"Two."

"Spare me!"

Bokris cut clean through the Elder's stomach, letting his body fall limp, bleeding into the dirt.

"You just wanted him dead," said Noland.

"Course I did."

"Fancy yourself a hero slaying the tyrant?"

"Heroes are fools, mate. I'll be lifting every ounce of coin from these poor sods before leaving. Besides, I didn't hear a single peep from these folk when the old man died. Did you? Search his house. There's a chance he may actually have gold hidden away."

Noland brought two men to search the Elder's home. Bokris dispersed the rest of the crew to plunder every home. There wasn't a drop of ale or rum to be found in the whole village, and Bokris felt more thirsty by the minute. He knew they would need to drop anchor soon near a friendly port with a good tavern.

"Would you look at that," said Noland, limping out of the Elder's home. "The old bastard did have gold hiding away after all."

"Must've thought death was preferable to living with hungry folk you've been hiding riches from." Bokris took a single gold piece and stuck it in the Elder's mouth.

"Take it to barter with whomever waits in the hereafter, you old miser. Everything else goes to The North Mother, lads."

Off the coast of the village sat The North Mother, a strong barque that was unlike any Water Tribe ship. She was named for her makers in the men's sister tribe, for whom she no longer sails. Though she was unique, and the best vessel among any of the tribes, one could feel the love she had for her southern brothers. After the Northern Water Chief let Markka's death go unpunished, her crew always seemed to find herself in heavy storms or under pirate attacks, as if her sorrow brough ill luck. Lucky for her, she was last boarded by Sokka the Grim, who took the great ship for himself. Since then, she sailed proudly and without fail.

From afar, The North Mother was indistinguishable from any other ship until the figurehead at her bow came into vision: a blindfolded woman, wrapped in a ghostly veil, holding out a black orb in front of her. The woman was made entirely of brass, but the orb she carried was pure onyx. The North Mother's makers intended this black orb to symbolize the ocean spirit, who dances eternally with the moon spirit, the white orb in the sky. Sokka would often tell the story to his crew, but with little conviction. Every man was meant to find his own meaning in the brass woman carrying the black orb. Most men unsurprisingly interpreted it as The North Mother grasping for treasure. Sokka certainly attributed his own meaning to the art of the figurehead, but he never told a soul.

"Everything below deck, Noland?" Bokris asked. "I'll do a stock take and inform the captain."

"We're almost ready. There's one problem: Grishvarg."

"You're shitting me. Again? Where is the lout?"

Grishvarg had only joined The North Mother's crew the previous spring. Fresh as he was, he had broken the ship's creed twice over, attempting to steal women from Fire Nation shores. Even in friendly ports, he would spend his last coin on the comforts of a brothel. Bokris had taken to calling him Grishvarg Straycock.

Now he attempted to take a girl from an Earth Kingdom village.

"This is the straw that broke the camelephant's back, Straycock," said Bokris. Grishvarg spun around in shock, revealing a girl whose clothes were still intact.

Bokris strafed to the side, and motioned with his thumb for her to leave the little cottage.

"She's of age," Grishvarg said thinly. "I mean, did you see the tits on that one? She had to be at least twenty"

"What's it matter?" Bokris shook his head. His eyes communicated disappointment rather than anger.

"I was paying her! Not with her own gold neither. Wasn't a silver piece to be found. I'd have fed her."

"Don't think she's selling, mate." Bokris turned away from the doorway, but Grishvarg drew his weapon to stop him. In his hand was a wooden club with rows of iron spikes jutting out around the head.

"I can't let you tell the Captain. He'll kill me."

"Oh, I'm afraid he already knows, mate. But don't worry, he won't kill you." Bokris turned the corner out of Grishvarg's sight, and in his place sauntered Captain Sokka the Grim.

He stepped slowly and menacingly, conscious of every shift in weight between his feet. Of all the tawny wolves in his pack, Sokka was the only one whose hair and beard were black as night. He stood over six feet, and the long, stringy hair covering his shoulders like a hood only added to his looming presence.

"It were a misunderstanding, Captain!"

Sokka said nothing.

"I'll make myself scarce. You'll never have to see me face again."

"Let you lose so you can ravish someone else's daughter?" Sokka closed in on Grishvarg, cornering him like a caged beast.

"It won't happen again."

"No, it won't." There followed a moment of intense silence before Grishvarg suddenly swung at Sokka. The Captain met force with force, taking his club-arm by the wrist and slamming it against the wooden wall, making the whole cottage tremble. Grishvarg dropped the spiked club, and Sokka pulled water from his canteen. He held it steady in the air, cradling his arms over and under the water. Sokka whipped his lower arm up to a high block, and his upper arm out into a palm strike. The water shot out toward Girshvarg's now empty hand and froze it against the wall. Grishvarg swung again with his free fist, but Sokka easily blocked him, forearm to forearm. He then retaliated with a swift punch that similarly shot another jet of water which froze his other hand to the back wall.

"Wait!" Grishvarg cried, sinking into the corner.

"Are you a big man?" Sokka hung over the shrinking man like a mountain.

"Bokris said you wouldn't kill me!"

"If I let you live, what would you do with your life?"

"I'd be in your debt, Captain. Your most loyal. Do anything you say, and be out of your hair soon as you cut me loose. Anything!"

"That's a good dog." Sokka pat Grishvarg on the head as he sobbed with relief. "In that case you won't be needing this." Sokka formed a stream of water into a sharp dagger of ice. Grishvarg panted and screamed as the Captain cut his trousers loose. "I'll make it quick and clean. Now hold still, dog."

The muffled screams could be heard all the way from the deck of The North Mother. Noland leaned on the helm with an impish smirk. Bokris shook his head and took a swig of his rum bottle.

"Least I can still call him Straycock."

"Don't tell me you actually like the crusty lecher. Are those tears?" Noland poked Bokris's cheek with his hook-hand.

"Piss on that!" Bokris ripped the hook from Noland's sleeve and shoved the bottle into his real hand underneath. "I worry for the Captain, mate. Some of these men haven't known him long as you or I. Could get the wrong idea about him."

"Right. They might think he's some crazy pirate that goes around chopping off people's manhood." Noland guzzled down the rum.

"Straycock made his bed. The rest of the boys are different. Got good heads on their shoulders."

"Let's hope the heads in their trousers stay put. Least til we make for a friendly port."

"They're no monks for sure, but they've got sense enough." Noland passed the bottle back to Bokris. As he drank, he suddenly spat it out when he caught a glimpse of a dust cloud over the horizon. "The bloody hell is that?"

At a distance, he saw the earth roll over itself, carrying a man on its way - an earthbender. Sokka stepped out to meet the man. It was General Orumetsu.

"The hell do you think you're doing, boy?" said Orumetsu. "It's not enough that you break our agreement, but you start with my home village?"

Sokka stared the General in the eye, without a hint of fear or anger. He was silent and unmoving. Orumetsu was more massive in strength than the Captain, but Sokka was much taller.

"You have nothing to say, then? I assume you have a reason for betraying us. Did the Fire Nation run out of gold while I wasn't looking? Your ship with our combined forces could have broken the fleet and stormed the Fire Lord's palace for all its riches."

"Leaving plenty of time for Xiong to retreat," said Sokka, "and giving Air Exiles the distraction they needed to kidnap Prince Chen."

"Who told you?"

"You think yourself safe so far from the sea in Zeduan? That I don't have the resources to hire a spy from the capital of cutthroats?"

"So that's what this is about? You don't like the plan."

"I don't like putting my crew in danger for the sake of taking a boy hostage. I don't like having secrets kept from me. I don't like having my vengeance stolen from me." Sokka leaned forward so close that their noses might touch. "And I don't fucking like you."

"You really want to do this, Captain? Right here?"

"At least I was elected Captain. Who made you General?" Orumetsu only then saw Grishvarg's blood on Sokka's hands. He backed away calmly from the pirate, and raised up the earth to carry him away at great speed.

Sokka had the advantage, and Orumetsu knew it. On any other ground, the earthbender would have won easily, but so close to the sea, a waterbender as skilled as he would have been nigh invincible.

"Captain on deck!" shouted Bokris. "How'd he take the break up, Captain?"

"Better than I thought he would."

"Cheer up, lad. We're free to do as we please now. Come on, Sourpuss, where's that smile?"

Sokka remained stone-faced.

"There's the old boy I know and love!" Bokris patted him on the back.

"How's the mood, Quartermaster?"

"We made some good plunder today, but the men are a bit on edge, what with Straycock losing his member."

"Suggestions?"

"Let the boys spend their gold, then they'll be thirsty for more when they run out. It'll put some pep in their step too, and remind them we aren't just some floating temple."

"Agreed. Helmsman."

"Yes, sir?" said Noland.

"Chart a course for the city of Er Nu."

"You heard him, lads!" Bokris shouted. "Weigh anchor. Half mast. Let's put these prizes of ours to use." The crew hollered with joy, and The North Mother opened her sails to catch the wind. She crawled away from the shore as Noland pointed her southeast.

Sokka stepped down from the helm. "Let the boys sing, Bokris. I'll be in my quarters."

"Aye, Captain," said Bokris. "Oy, you muted nuns, let's have us a shanty!"


	4. Dragon Dances with the Princess

"Got any women?" Ziyi asked. Chen froze, no longer squatting as he practiced his fire punching.

"Not on my person, no," he jested, patting at his trouser pockets.

"A girlfriend, dummy."

"Why? So you can hook up with her sister?"

"Girls are mean. I need a break from them. Maybe her brother instead. Anyway, that's not the point. It's about damn time we found you a date, cousin."

"I'm fine. I don't have time for a girl right now." Chen squatted back down to continue practicing.

"Why? Cause Sifu Huoma gave you extra homework? You can already beat half the class."

"I haven't won against you yet."

"You'll never win against me."

"Not if I'm wasting time going on dates."

Ziyi sighed with hands on her hips. "Oh well. Guess I'll just tell Michelle you're not interested."

Chen hopped upright. "What did Michelle say about me?"

"Nothing. Only now I know that you can make time." Ziyi pulled Chen toward her and spun him in the direction of their most gorgeous classmate. Kheng Michelle was slender in face and body, and her eyes were cat-like, with one always hidden behind her long, chestnut brown hair. Chen had always taken a liking to her, but even being the Fire Lord's son might not have been enough to impress her. The Kheng family was wealthy to begin with, and they didn't stand too far below the Li family in social status.

"The worst thing she can say is 'no'," said Ziyi, holding Chen by the shoulders. "Just march up to her and ask her to dinner with you. It's that simple."

"Look at me, Ziyi. Guys like me don't just ask girls like her out to dinner." While Chen was quite fit for an adolescent, his squirrelish cheeks made him appear more portly than he really was. Rather, he told himself such when looking at his own reflection.

"There! She's alone by the window. Now's your chance. She's staring into space just waiting for someone to talk to her. Ask her before I do it for you."

"Don't do that! I'm going already. Just give me a second to find the words."

"No think. Take girl. Eat food. Now!" Ziyi kicked him away, and he stumbled in Michelle's direction. She hardly took notice of the hapless prince.

"Hey, Michelle, what are you up to?"

"Waiting for class to be over."

"You have any plans afterward?"

"Going to bed I think."

"Right." Chen was at a loss. He turned to look for his cousin, but she nowhere to be seen. There was nothing left to do but ask her out. "Would you like to go to dinner with me?"

Michelle finally turned to face Chen. She looked him over once with those penetrating eyes. her timing was impeccable. Two seconds was all it took. Not one, nor three, nor even one and a half, but two seconds for her to scan him from top to bottom. There was time enough for consideration, and the decision was clearly very easy for her to make. Michelle looked him directly in the eye, and spoke with such surety that Chen might never ask anyone else again.

"No," she said. Chen slinked away to find Ziyi.

"You were right," said Chen. "The worst thing she could say really was 'no'." Chen seemed to deflate next to her.

"I told you girls were mean. Come on, would you really be any happier if you two went out?"

"It's fine. I'll get over it."

"Good, cause I have a better idea."

"No thanks." Ziyi couldn't utter another word before Chen left the classroom altogether.

"Where you going?" Chen didn't respond. "Sifu Huoma will want to know where you are when class starts."

"The library. Tell her what you want."

It wasn't the first rejection Chen endured, but he had been fawning over Michelle for some time. A relationship between the two existed in his mind, and he knew that if he approached her, the fantasy would crumble. Part of it felt tangible before, but now it felt more unattainable than ever. The dream was over.

Chen was greeted by the librarian, Mao Long, a kindly man with amber eyes behind perfectly round glasses, and a similarly rounded face under short, well groomed hair. He was known for practicing firebending techniques, despite not being one himself. As such, Long was happy to point Chen in the direction of any newly arrived tomes and scrolls on the subject.

"Come in, Prince Chen," said Long, nose deep into sorting through a shelf. "Some hooligan thinks it's quite a laugh to place Wu Ji-Huang's theory on the magnetic properties of magma flows in the children's section. Can you imagine?"

"The scandal," Chen scoffed.

"I'm sorry to say I haven't anything new in Zouting style movements, but please stay a while."

Long knew that Chen frequented the writings and illustrations of Zouting the Immovable. In the late Master's travels through the Earth Kingdom, he learned the philosophies of their bending, and incorporated it into firebending. What resulted was a style rooted in strong stances and defensive maneuvers. Chen immersed himself in this style, but for all he learned, he had not yet mastered it, and Ziyi broke his defenses tirelessly when they sparred.

There were two others in the library. Chen didn't know the first woman by name, but he did know she frequented the library. She was quite lovely in her formal dress, and dark red hair which waved about her shoulders. Her beauty even matched Michelle, but there wasn't a chance Chen might even speak to her. Sun Kaihui was well past her school days, and wouldn't associate with a sixteen-year-old boy.

The second was another young woman, but a fellow classmate of Chen's. Doris was everything that Michelle wasn't: Stout, demure, lonesome, and kindhearted. She was no bender, and thus didn't share Sifu Huoma's class with him. They were acquainted through a less interesting class - from Chen's perspective at least. Their eyes met for only a second before darting away. Doris was engrossed in a book of her own, and Chen thought not to bother her either.

Chen scanned his finger along the shelves containing some of the familiar tomes of Zouting the Immovable when he noticed something out of place. One of the book's spines read 'Ang-Kong the Sun Eater and the Fisherman's Boy'. It was a children's book, likely swapped for the text which pained Mao Long to see so miscategorized.

Then, a certain level of joy sparked in Chen to see a book so small, and so humble. A tale to be read for no other purpose than the simple pleasure of it. He had read it before, but decided there was no better time than now to pick it up again.

Ang-Kong was a dragon whose scales were black as night, and wings larger than rainclouds. Indeed, so large and gluttonous was he that he desired to swallow the sun itself. Ang-Kong preferred the darkness, unlike his kin, for his breath was an icy wind instead of fire. The other dragons tried to stop him, but he smote each of them from the skies.

At last Ang-Kong swallowed the sun, and the world was smothered in darkness, save for starlight. The dragons and Sun Warriors lost their fire, and gave in to despair.

One day, a fisherman and his son, Kikuchiyo, were out on the water attempting to catch their dinner. It was midday, and the sky was as black as night. The fish were not swimming, as they too were bereft of hope for the loss of the sun. The fisherman was ready to give up when Kikuchiyo begged his father to stay just a few more minutes. Whether the catch was scarce or plentiful, the boy loved fishing either way.

Kikuchiyo's line was suddenly pulled harder than he ever felt. His father rushed to his side to help pull the massive fish. When their catch surfaced, they found it was no fish at all, but a giant unagi.

"We are dying, little Kikuchiyo," said the unagi. "The sun cannot bring life to the seaweed, and those that feed on them are starving. If they starve, the rest of us shall die just so. You must seek out Mu-Xu the Elder, little Kikuchiyo. You, and no one else, may save the sun from Ang-Kong the Sun Eater."

Kikuchiyo bade farewell to his family and set out on his quest for Mu-Xu. He crossed land and sea to reach the crescent shaped island where he dwelled. Mu-Xu was an old, grey dragon who was little bigger than a large man. There, Mu-Xu taught Kikuchiyo how to firebend.

"Just as the sun lies within Ang-Kong's belly, so does a little sun dwell within every firebender. Even you, little Kikuchiyo, have a tiny sun burning inside your Sea of Qi. You must now take what I have taught you, and bend the sun out from Ang-Kong."

Kikuchiyo was clever, and knew of Ang-Kong's never-ending hunger. When he found the dragon sleeping in his cave in the South Pole, Kikuchiyo dressed himself as a fish. He flopped and tossed and made such a racket that Ang-Kong woke up. When the great dragon saw the little fish flopping in front of him, he couldn't believe his luck, that his breakfast would come right to him. He swallowed Kikuchiyo in a single gulp.

So large was the dragon, and so little was Kikuchiyo, that the boy walked through his stomach like it was a large house. In the center of the dragon's belly was the sun, burning so brightly that the boy could hardly see.

Kikuchiyo used what Mu-Xu had taught him and pulled the sun from Ang-Kong's mouth. The dragon was furious when he saw the boy scurry away with his best prize. Luckily, Kikuchiyo was quick and managed to carry the sun back to its place in the sky before Ang-Kong could reach him. Ang-Kong was tired after losing such a meal, and slept until he regained his energy.

Now, whenever Ang-Kong reawakens during the Day of Black Sun, he comes to swallow the sun again. Very soon after, however, Kikuchiyo retrieves it once again, and Ang-Kong returns to his long sleep.

"What are you reading?" It was a girl's voice Chen heard behind him. He closed the book quickly, as if she hadn't already seen the children's story in his hands. It was Doris.

"I was looking for Zouting's method," said Chen. Doris sat down across from him.

"Is that 'Ang-Kong the Sun Eater'? My mother used to read it to me all the time."

"Me too. Well, my father did."

"What do you think made Kikuchiyo so special? I mean, it could have been anyone, right? So long as they were a firebender and were small enough not to get chewed up by Ang-Kong."

"It had to be someone. Maybe Kikuchiyo got lucky he fished out that unagi."

"That's too simple. Kid's story or no, there had to be some secret that made Kikuchiyo able to bend the sun. It's bugged me forever. I'm no bender, though, so I don't know as much as I'd like about it. But you're in Huoma's class. I thought you might know."

"So what makes me so special? There's lots of firebenders in the school, and Long knows a thing or two in theory."

Doris sunk into her seat. "Well, I mean, you were there and..." She looked down, brushing her hair behind her ear. "I heard you were the best in your class."

Chen smirked with a cocked head. "What about Ziyi?"

"I heard she was good too, but she told me you two were basically on the same level."

"She said that?"

"Sure she did, and seeing as you're here and she's not..." Doris was still slumped in the chair. Chen felt a pinch of shame for how dismissive he acted toward her. For the few times they had ever spoken, she had always been kind to him. She's cute in her own way, Chen thought. What would Ziyi say in this situation? Was this her 'better idea' all along? They talked to each other before. What would Sifu Huoma say? 'Don't forget to breath'.

"Kikuchiyo loved life," said Chen. "His father wanted to leave when the fish wouldn't bite, but Kikuchiyo wanted to stay because he enjoyed it regardless." Chen conjured a small flame in his hand. "Fire is alive. It breathes, it consumes. The more you appreciate it, the stronger it grows. Kikuchiyo had the ability, the size, and the pure joy of life - both the good and the bad. That's what allowed him to carry the sun. A true master embraces life, warts and all."

Doris brightened, fixing her gaze on Chen's little flame. "Is it true your grandfather could breathe dragonfire?"

"I never met him," he said, snuffing the flame in his fist. "But yes, so my father tells me."

"I've only ever read about it. Just imagine all those colors swirling in a glorious blaze, coming from the maw of such a magnificent creature."

"You've never seen a dragon, have you?"

Doris rested her chin on her arms, crossed over the table. "No."

"Would you like to see one?"

Doris looked up at Chen with wonderous eyes, full of excitement. Two seconds was all it took. There was time enough for consideration, but the decision was clearly very easy for her to make. She spoke with such surety that her infectious joy made Chen smile.

"Yes!"


End file.
